The Papuan area, including New Guinea and nearby islands, has a rich fauna of vertebrates and associated ectoparasites. Studies of the biosystematics and zoogeography of these ectoparasites, and their hosts as potential reservoirs of disease, are important in comprehending the epidemiology of scrub typhus, plague, arboviruses, and other diseases. It is urgent that baseline data be acquired now because of currently rapid sociopolitical changes that increasingly influence the biota and associated disease patterns. The collections of Papuan ectoparasites (and host species) at the Bishop Museum, already the largest, are being augmented by additional collecting, with concentration on the areas and hosts less surveyed in the past. Field activities are based at Wau Ecology Institute, an affiliate of Bishop Museum in Papua New Guinea. Ectoparasites are distributed to various collaborating specialists. Some material, particularly parasitic mesostigmatic mites, is prepared and studied intramurally. We are advancing towards an ultimate objective of comprehensive survey of ectoparasites of the Papuan area.